The Pittsburgh Penguins are staying busy, as they acquired defenseman Egor Zamula from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forward Philip Tomasino on Dec. 31. This comes after both players were recently placed on waivers and cleared them. Although the Penguins and Flyers do not make trades with each other often due to their intense rivalry, this deal makes sense for both sides. There was no question that both Zamula and Tomasino were in need of fresh starts, and now they have gotten just that. While this is not the biggest move in the NHL this season, it has the potential to be a solid one for the Penguins. Zamula has shown in the past that he has the potential to provide decent offense from the point. During the 2023-24 season, the 6-foot-3 puck-moving defenseman set career highs with five goals, 16 assists, and 21 points in 66 games. Furthermore, with Zamula still only 25 years old, the possibility of him bouncing back with the Penguins should not be ruled out. It is also no secret that the Penguins need help on the left side of their defense. While Zamula is starting his tenure with the organization in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he certainly has a good chance of getting called up if he impresses. If Zamula regains his 2023-24 form or even hits a new level for Pittsburgh, it would be huge for a Penguins team in the middle of a retool. Ultimately, there is no harm in the Penguins taking a chance on him, and it will be fascinating to see how much of an impact he can make from here. In 168 career NHL games over six seasons, Zamula has recorded eight goals, 33 assists, and 41 points. In 13 games this season with the Flyers before being traded to Pittsburgh, he had one assist and a plus-4 rating.
